The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1887-11-25
JoApUIr arUHIEFrA. oUrIAW.
A Pioneers story OF q Famous uaiifornir
kauditis OaE'ear.

n
Bandits OaEesr.
San Joss News,
The following story ID told by an old
pioneer Of California as Vie cause thHt led 10
Joaquin MuriettG becoming bandit and an
outlaw This famous Desperate Was we'll
| known in San Jose and this county was the
aoenB Of many daring ana bloody e1ploit.
When Thousands Of gold seekers were pour
| ing into California from all directions ana
| from ali countries, there lived rear Sonora,
! Tuolumne county, q yotlng Mexican named
| Joaquin mnriatta and his wife Jarmelita.
| They occupied roughly made but comfort
| ahlooabin of three rooms, and all who made
4 their acuuRintanCe were struck most pleas
antly with their happy UountenanoeH and the
many evidences Of their devotion to each
| other, BUth were possessed 81 kindly, happy
| dispositions: they Werp intelligent and the
| husband spoke English with eunaiderable
tluenoy.. Marietta was engaged in garden
| ing, andnlonR both sides Of = little stream
| that flowed near the door of his cottage the
ground had been carefully cultivated and
! was covered with numerous vegetables which
| would coon be ready for market. Vegetables
| in those days were worth almost their weight
/ in silver, and as the happy gardener worked
| and planned for the future when he could
| return with his wife to their native iand lie
could hear the haOpy housewife singing some
/ sweet Spanish love song which he knew Was
1 Intended for him.
1 A Mr.. Wilson, an American, who had
claim near by, made his hume Of their cot
tage, and all three were warm friends Mu-
| ri0tta was deriving an ample income from
his garden, and, with the money received
| from Wilson for board, their prospeCts were
! very bright. About thiE time the gold fever
! increased in intensity. Men became more
selfish. and less polished. There was whirl
of excitement; fortunes were lost and won at
| cards; murders were OF frequent occurrence,
md in all directions men we're roaming the
] hills and gnl1heB, and their eyes seemed to
| glare inB8nely as they peered into every
purling brook and under every bowlder for
! gold. The happy trio at the cottage were
not Disturbed for some time, but 81 e'beau=
joaquin murietta and his wife were seated
outside OF the door cunversing on their pros
poets and planning on the1utuTe. As they
were thus pleasantly building castles, like
children, five rough men appeared q short
distance below the cabin, all loaded with
mining implements. They halted and GEM
mgnced prospecting in the stream. The re-
suit seemed TO be highly satisfactory, for
there was a general yell, and active mining
! operations were at once commenced. The
men, vino we're from Missouri and had Just
arrived in the mines, worked almost con-
Htantly. They followed the gold streak up
the stream. and at length approached the
beautiful garden, valuable AZ 8 gold mine,
with its wealth Of vegetables of all varities
Mur1etta and his friend Wilson began TO be
appreheusive of trouble, and at length both
visited the miners and requested them d a
favor not TO mine through the garden but
to 60 on the other side until tho valuable
crop could be taken OFF the ground.
They refused to heed the request, and an
sWeTed roughly that they knew the law.
|
and get legal relief. Wilson started and
reached town in Two hours. TWAS O'Clock
in the afternoon when returning he came in
sight of the little cottage. He stopped and
paZed Init et,Iiid ace nd one aIei7 ii tie 5csse
He quickened his pace, While forebOdinEB Of
some terrible trouble filled his heart. He
reached the streRm-the minerg, with al
their belongings, had departed, and the
Thought thai then filled his haif-dazed brain
vas that his friends had been murdered.
His cheek paled, ana, letpIag over the
through the door. He stood appalled, 1t the
scene that met has eyes, There on the floor,
bound hand and foot, lay Mnrietta The
Light, Of reason seemed 70 have left his eyes,
which stared and rolled like a demons. Foam
was on his lips, and from his throat came in
coheleGt, choking sounds. while his body
wrlthed like a serpent. Bending quickly
over the man, Wilson cut the ropes. AZ
they fell htuliettR leaped 10 his feet with a
cry OF agony Buch as Dante alone could
describe. He rushed into the bedroom, and
there lay his wife, apparently dead; iIeF
clothing was torn from her person, and her
palhd face foid Of the awful eXperieue5
through which she, j d passed. Murietta
threw himself beside her on the bed and
ClaSptng her to his breast, cried out: mi
querida, mi QueEd1H tlly darling, my dar-
Ing. Wilson gNpOd faint with horror at the
scene, and could NOS suppress a child at his
heart SIS the frantic husband now paced up
and down the room, almost RllrieblnR: n
will kill them will kill them!" Again and
Again he would rush into the bedIOoyp with
savage animal up and down the door Of the
other room. Wilson TeAiiZed that it would
pc no use to,endeaTur to pgacify the man. lie
had suffered an hour Of horror that had
burned deeply into his gouls lie bad wit
messed that which had .chEuged his whole
pgtuEe and blasted his whole life Wilson II
length went to the bedside where laXt me
almost girilsh figure. He detected signs
OF life and took snch lnealis As we've at hand
to revive her. He wRs successful. Her
1 husband took her in his arms as ii She were a
little baly and carried her TO aud fr0 cover.
IHg her Lace with kisses. Before nightfal
llurigtta had beesine more c.dEa 0utw.rtliy,
but Wilson could see by his eyes that tiger,
thirsting for blood, luTl5ed III the mans soul
CaFmelita was taken 10 So. 1ra, and there
placed with friend, and q physician sum
lnoned. She was III q long time, but Pecoy.
cred.
Murietta disappeared A week afterward
q, Wilson learned that two men had been killed
near Columbia. Within three weeks lhree
more We're murdered. The Msxicans re-.
Yenge was complete. Heshad reyenged thf
outrage that had blasted his life, and was al
1 Dtrtin1p